Greatest Film Directors and Their Best Films (Alphabetical Order, Unranked) ROGER CORMAN 1926- Extremely Prolific King (Producer and Director) of the Independents and Classic, Tacky, Low-Budget B's (Horror and Sci-Fi) and Drive-In Movies Suggested Filmography: Swamp Women (1955), The Day the World Ended (1956), It Conquered the World (1956), Not of This Earth (1957), The Undead (1957), Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), Sorority Girl (1957), Machine-Gun Kelly (1958), A Bucket of Blood (1959), House of Usher (1960), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), The Wasp Woman (1960), The Intruder (1961), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Premature Burial (1962), Tales of Terror (1962), X - The Man With the X-Ray Eyes (1963), The Haunted Palace (19

63), The Raven (1963), The Terror (1963), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), The Tomb of Ligeia (1965), The Wild Angels (1966), The St.

Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), The Trip (1967), Bloody Mama (1970), Death Race 2000 (1975), Frankenstein Unbound (1990). DAVID CRONENBERG 1943- GEORGE CUKOR 1899-1983 Cosmopolitan, Refined "Woman's" Director During 50 Year Career Wit and class distinguish his sophisticated pictures, which star Katharine and Audrey Hepburn and Greta Garbo. Suggested Filmography: A Bill of Divorcement (1932), One Hour With You (1932), What Price Hollywood?

(1932), Little Women (1933) , Dinner at Eight (1933) , David Copperfield (1935), Camille (1936) , Romeo and Juliet (1936), Sylvia Scarlett (1936), Holiday (1938), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), Gone With The Wind (1939) (partial), The Women (1939), The Philadelphia Story (1940) , Keeper of the Flame (1942), Gaslight (1944) , A Double Life (1947), Adam's Rib (1949) , Born Yesterday (1950), The Marrying Kind (1952), Pat and Mike (1952), A Star is Born (1954) , It Should Happen to You (1954), Lust for Life (1956) (co-director, uncredited), Bhowani Junction (1956), Les Girls (1957), Let's Make Love (1960), My Fair Lady (1964) , Travels With My

 Aunt (1972), Rich and Famous (1981).

MICHAEL CURTIZ 1888-1962 Hollywood's Most Prolific, Skilled and Colorful Hungarian-born Director of the 30s and 40s He made Casablanca and Elvis Presley's King Creole, along with dozens of movies in every genre, from action to horror to melodrama.

Suggested Filmography: Cabin in the Cotton (1932) , Doctor X (1932), The Kennel Murder Case (1933), The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), Captain Blood (1935), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Walking Dead (1936), Anthony Adverse (1936), Kid Galahad (1937), Marked Woman (1937), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) , Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) , Four Daughters (1938), Dodge City (1939), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), Santa Fe Trail (1940), The Sea Hawk (1940), Virginia City (1940), The Sea Wolf (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) , Casablanca (1942) , This is the Army (1943), Passage to Marseille (1944), Mildred Pierce (1945) , Night and Day (1946), Life With Father

 (1947), The Unsuspected (1947), My Dream Is Yours (1949), Flamingo Road (1949), Young Man With a Horn (1950), Jim Thorpe - All American (1951), The Egyptian (1954), White Christmas (1954), We're No Angels (1955), The Proud Rebel (1958), King Creole (1958), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960), The Comancheros (1961).

CECIL B. DE MILLE 1881-1959 Master Director and "Showman" of the Big Budget, Excessive Historical Epic and Religious Spectacle/Pageant He was the first master of big-budget event movies, with two The Ten Commandments films and The Greatest Show on Earth. Suggested Filmography: The Squaw Man (in three versions 1914, 1918, 1931), The Cheat (1915), Joan the Woman (1916), Male and Female (1919), Forbidden Fruit (1921), The Ten Commandments (1923), The King of Kings (1927), Madam Satan (1930), The Sign of the Cross (1932), Cleopatra (1934) , The Crusades (1935), The Plainsman (1936), The Buccaneer (1938), Union Pacific (1939), North West Mounted Police (1940), Reap the Wild Wind (1942), The Story of Dr.

Wassell (1944), Unconquered (1947), Samson and Delilah (1949), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), The Ten Commandments (1956) .

# 45 JONATHAN DEMME 1944- Hip, Critically-Admired and Mainstream Director of Quirky and Dramatic Tales in the 80s and 90s Suggested Filmography: Caged Heat (1974), Crazy Mama (1975), Last Embrace (1979), Melvin and Howard (1980), Stop Making Sense (1984), Swing Shift (1984), Something Wild (1986), Swimming to Cambodia (1987), Married to the Mob (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) , Philadelphia (1993), Beloved (1998), The Truth About Charlie (2002), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006), Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains (2007), Rachel Getting Married (2008), Ricki and the Flash (2015).

# 27 BRIAN DE PALMA 1940- Dynamic Director of Lurid, Excessive, Psychological Thrillers/Melodramas With Hitchcock-Like Style A seventies film-school prodigy, he made Carrie and Scarface but specialized in Hitchcockian thrillers like Dressed to Kill and Body Double. Suggested Filmography: Greetings (1968), Hi, Mom!

(1970), Sisters (1973), Phantom of the Paradise (1974), Carrie (1976), Obsession (1976), The Fury (1978), Dressed To Kill (1980), Blow Out (1981), Scarface (1983), Body Double (1984), Wise Guys (1986), The Untouchables (1987), Casualties of War (1989), The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), Raising Cain (1992), Carlito's Way (1993), Mission: Impossible (1996), Snake Eyes (1998), Mission to Mars (2000), Femme Fatale (2002), The Black Dahlia (2006), Redacted (2007), Passion (2012).

WALT DISNEY 1901-1966 Visionary and Producer of Major Entertainment Empire and Film Art-Animation Suggested Filmography: Steamboat Willie (1928) (director), Flowers and Trees (1932), The Three Little Pigs (1933), CLINT EASTWOOD 1930- Versatile Actor/Producer Turned Director Noted Originally as TV Actor and Star of Italian-Made "Spaghetti" Westerns The TV actor turned spaghetti-Western star became an A-list director with Unforgiven, Mystic River, and Million Dollar Baby.

Suggested Filmography: Play Misty for Me (1971) , High Plains Drifter (1972), Breezy (1973), The Eiger Sanction (1975), The Outlaw-Josey Wales (1976), The Gauntlet (1977), Bronco Billy (1980), Firefox (1982), Honkytonk Man (1982), Sudden Impact (1983) , Pale Rider (1985), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Bird (1988), The Rookie (1990), White Hunter, Black Heart (1990), Unforgiven (1992) , A Perfect World (1993), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Absolute Power (1997), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), True Crime (1999), Space Cowboys (2000), Mystic River (2003), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006),

 Changeling (2008), Gran Torino (2008), Invictus (2009), Hereafter (2010), J.

Edgar (2011), Jersey Boys (2014), American Sniper (2014). # 29 SERGEI EISENSTEIN 1898-1948 Russian Director of Only Seven Films - Although Highly Influential Suggested Filmography: Strike (1924), Battleship Potemkin (1925), October/10 Days That Shook the World (1927), The General Line (1929), Que Viva Mexico! (1932), Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ivan the Terrible, Part One (1944), Ivan the Terrible, Part Two (1946).

# 10 FEDERICO FELLINI 1920-1993 Visionary, Surrealistic Italian Screenwriter and Director Suggested Filmography: Open City (1945), Paisan (1946), The White Sheik (1952), I Vitelloni (1953), La Strada (1954), Il Bidone (1955), Nights of Cabiria (1957), La Dolce Vita (1960), 8 1/2 (1963), Juliet of the Spirits (1965), Fellini Satyricon (1969), Fellini's Roma (1972), Amarcord (1973).

VICTOR FLEMING 1883-1949 'Director' of Two of MGM's Greatest Films TERRY GILLIAM 1940- Former Monty Python Team Member, Contemporary Director of Bizarre Comedy-Fantasies Suggested Filmography: And Now For Something Completely Different (1971), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Jabberwocky (1977), Time Bandits (1981), Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983), Brazil (1985) , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), The Fisher King (1991), 12 Monkeys (1995), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), The Brothers Grimm (2005), Tideland (2005), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009).

# 31 JEAN-LUC GODARD 1930- French Director, Noted as Ex-Cahiers du Cinema Critic and New Wave Filmmaker Suggested Filmography: Breathless (1959), Une Femme est une Femme (1960), Contempt (1963), Vivre sa Vie (1963), Band of Outsiders (1964), Alphaville (1965), Pierrot le fou (1965), Masculin Feminin (1966), Two or Three Things I Know About Her (1966), Weekend (1967), La Chinoise (1967), Numero Deux (1975), Every Man for Himself (1980), Passion (1982), Hail Mary (1985), Nouvelle Vague (1990), In Praise of Love (2001), Notre Musique (2004). # 15 D. W.

GRIFFITH 1875-1948 Cinema's First Major Artist, Landmark Story-Teller and Feature Film Maker, A Pioneering Silent Film-Maker Often Considered the 'Father of Modern Filmmaking' The father of modern moviemaking, he pioneered film language in such milestones as The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance.

Suggested Filmography: The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912), The Girl and Her Trust (1912), Judith of Bethulia (1914), WERNER HERZOG 1942- German Director of the New German Cinema Movement Suggested Filmography: Signs of Life (1968), Land of Silence and Darkness (1971), Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972), The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (1974), The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1975), Stroszek (1977), Woyzeck (1978), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982), Cobra Verde (1988), Lessons in Darkness (1992), The White Diamond (2004), Grizzly Man (2005), The Wild Blue Yonder (2005), Rescue Dawn (2006), Encounters at the End of the World (2007), The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009).

# 1 # 2 ALFRED HITCHCOCK 1899-1980 Acknowledged British Master of Manipulative Terror and Thrillers, Widely Known as the "Master of Suspense" and Arguably the Most Imitated Director of All Time; also Host of His Own TV Mystery Series A master of suspense and gallows humor, he turned out classic after classic, including Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds. RON HOWARD 1954- Young Child Performer Turned Director Suggested Filmography: Night Shift (1982), Splash (1984), Cocoon (1985), Gung Ho (1986), Willow (1988), Parenthood (1989), Backdraft (1991), Far and Away (1992), The Paper (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), Ransom (1996), EdTV (1999), Dr.

Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001), The Missing (2003), Cinderella Man (2005), The Da Vinci Code (2006), Frost/Nixon (2008), Angels & Demons (2009), Rush (2013), In the Heart of the Sea (2015). # 13 JOHN HUSTON 1906-1987 Legendary, Prodigious, Top-Notch American Director and Storyteller (also Actor and Scriptwriter) of Brilliantly-Crafted Films From All Genres Artistic, macho, and intellectual, Huston had a career spanning four decades, from The Maltese Falcon to Prizzi's Honor. Suggested Filmography: PETER JACKSON 1961- New Zealand-Born Director Best Known for The Lord of the Rings and Hobbitt Trilogies This New Zealand-born movie buff started small with the low-budget Bad Taste and worked his way up to the epic The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

ELIA KAZAN 1909-2003 Controversial American Stage and Film Director of Gritty Psychological Dramas and Message Movies In A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, this controversial director made gritty psychological dramas with resonance. Suggested Filmography: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), The Sea of Grass (1947), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), Boomerang! (1947), Pinky (1949), Panic in the Streets (1950), Family Plot (1976) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Lighthearted suspense film about a phony psychic/con artist and her taxi driver/private investigator boyfriend who encounter a pair of serial kidnappers while trailing a missing heir in California.

Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON TV a list of 36 titles created 02 May 2011 a list of 27 titles created 12 Jun 2012 a list of 40 titles created 09 Jan 2013 a list of 34 titles created 06 Oct 2013 a list of 40 titles created 05 Jan 2014 Search for " Family Plot " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations. See more awards » Videos A French intelligence agent becomes embroiled in the Cold War politics first with uncovering the events leading up to the 1962 Cuban Missle Crisis, and then back to France to break up an international Russian spy ring. Director: Alfred Hitchcock A serial murderer is strangling women with a necktie. The London police have a suspect, but he is the wrong man.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock An American scientist publicly defects to East Germany as part of a cloak and dagger mission to find the solution for a formula resin before planning an escape back to the West. Director: Alfred Hitchcock Mark marries Marnie although she is a habitual thief and has serious psychological problems, and tries to help her confront and resolve them. Director: Alfred Hitchcock The trouble with Harry is that he's dead, and everyone seems to have a different idea of what needs to be done with his body... Director: Alfred Hitchcock A family vacationing in Morocco accidentally stumble on to an assassination plot and the conspirators are determined to prevent them from interfering. Director: Alfred Hitchcock Aircraft factory worker Barry Kane goes on the run across the United States when he is wrongly accused of starting a fire that killed his best friend. Director: Alfred Hitchcock True story of an innocent man mistaken for a criminal. Director: Alfred Hitchcock A priest who comes under suspicion for murder cannot clear his name without breaking the seal of the confessional. Director: Alfred Hitchcock A young woman discovers her visiting uncle may not be the man he seems to be.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people. Director: Alfred Hitchcock When a reformed jewel thief is suspected of returning to his former occupation, he must ferret out the real thief in order to prove his innocence. Director: Alfred Hitchcock Edit Storyline The trickster Madam Blanche Tyler lures the elder millionaire Julia Rainbird that believes she is a spiritualist. After a séance, she discovers that Julia is tormented by her past, when she forced her sister and single mother Harriet to deliver her baby for adoption to avoid a family scandal. Julia promises the small fortune of ten thousand-dollar to Blanche if she finds her nephew and heir of her fortune using her phony powers. Blanche asks her boyfriend George Lumley, who is an unemployed actor working as cab driver, to investigate the whereabouts of Julia's nephew. Meanwhile, the greedy jeweler and collector Arthur Adamson kidnaps wealthy people with his girlfriend Fran to increase his collection of diamonds with the ransom.

When George concludes that Arthur Adamson might be the heir of Julia Rainbird, the reckless Blanche gets in trouble with the kidnappers. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil You must see it twice! See more » Genres: 9 April 1976 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia Jack Nicholson couldn't accept the role of George Lumley, as he was doing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). See more » Goofs During the scene where Maloney and Adamson are in the back room of the jewelry store, Maloney takes all but two cigarettes from the cigarette bowl. However, minutes later, the bowl is full again. See more » Quotes Fran : I don't know what's come over me tonight. I'm tingling all over. Arthur Adamson : I told you about danger, didn't I? First it makes you sick, then when you get through it, it makes you very, very loving. The Universal logo does not appear anywhere on this film.

See more » Connections Rejoice, the Lord Is King (1744) (uncredited) No, not great Hitchcock, but entertaining nonetheless 17 March 2001 | by zetes (Saint Paul, MN) – See all my reviews Family Plot differs from all the other Hitchcock films. It lacks suspense, for the most part, and it is not as funny as many of his films. Instead, it is just an amusing little yarn. I like the way the film starts with two separate plot lines which gradually merge. Even if it is not the most original thing in the world (especially since two of Family Plot's stars were main players in Robert Altman's Nashville), it still makes the film interesting. If anyone else had made this film, it probably would be more fondly received by the public, although I doubt anyone would still be watching it today. The two characters with whom we begin the film, whom we would consider the heroes, are the best, and are played lovingly by Barbara Harris and Bruce Dern. She's a hack psychic milking old ladies out of pensions, and he's a cabbie who cannot find enough time both to drive his cab and participate in Harris' schemes.

Although the characters aren't as well developed as those in numerous other Hitchcock ventures, they're entertaining. The other couple, Karen Black and William Devane, fare less well. They're more crafty in their crimes, perpetrating large-scale kidnappings for enormous ransoms. Karen Black's character is very underdeveloped, hardly showing any depth. What character she does have is not entirely believable, since Karen Black seems too nice to play a hardcore criminal. William Devane is decent as the sinister mastermind, but the history provided to his character is far more brutal than is believable (he locked his adopted parents in their bedroom and set fire to their house). I liked the idea of the small time crooks clashing with the professionals, and I liked the outcome of the film. All in all, it is decent and worth watching. It does not feel anything like a Hitchcock film, so I wouldn't expect anything like Vertigo or Rear Window when approaching this, his swan song. 7/10 40 of 47 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Family Plot (1976) - The Alfred Hitchcock Wiki The Alfred Hitchcock Wiki There's no body in the family plot.

( add your rating ) Synopsis Spiritualist Blanche Tyler is asked to locate a missing heir, whom she pursues with her cab driver boyfriend Geroge Lumley, an unemployed actor. The man they seek, Arthur Adamson, is posing as a legitimate jeweler while kidnapping wealthy people for a ransom in diamonds. He is assisted by his girlfriend, Fran. Production After the release of Frenzy , Hitchcock spent several months recuperating, often staying at home with Alma and browsing books that the Universal story department had sent him. Around this time, according to Patrick McGilligan , the director seriously considered making a cold war spy thriller, possibly even setting the film entirely in Russia. [1] In 1973 , whilst dining with Richard Levinson and William Link , Hitchcock expressed his frustration at not being able to find a suitable book to adapt. The two writers suggested that Victor Canning 's 1972 novel The Rainbird Pattern might be of interest and felt that the plot would make an ideal Hitchcockian crime thriller.

The novel has two separate story threads — firstly the search by a clairvoyant and her out-of-work partner to find a missing heir, secondly a husband and wife team who kidnap prominent officials to ransom for diamonds — which eventually converge leaving virtually all of the main characters dead. After Alma read the novel and approved it, Hitchcock selected it as his next project. [1] Pre-Production Screenplay Hitchcock initially approached Anthony Shaffer , but the playwright expressed reservations about the angle Hitchcock was considering, which he regarded as being too much like Noël Coward 's Blithe Spirit. By September 1973, Ernest Lehman had been persuaded to do the adaptation — Hitchcock explained that he intended to keep only the bare-bones of Canning's novel and to relocate the story from England to California. One of the early decisions was to drop Canning's title and the project was branded Deceit. [2] Script meetings progressed slowly but steadily and Lehman completed a first draft by April 1974 .

However, the initial energy of the project had begun to wane and they both began to have doubts the scripts could be completed — Lehman grew weary of Hitchcock over-analysing every detail and the director complained privately in letters to Michael Balcon that Lehman was "a very nervous and edgy sort of man" who was deliberately making things difficult for him. When Hitchcock suffered a heart attack in September, he half-jokingly blamed it on the stress Lehman was causing him. [3] Hitchcock had suffered a number of health scares since completing Frenzy and, following an operation to be fitted with a pacemaker, he was hospitalised again for colitis and then kidney stones. Already struggling with arthritis, he then had a series of debilitating falls. Towards the end of 1974, it seemed increasingly unlikely Deceit would move into production, despite the fact that Lehman was still working away on the script. [4] Casting the initial cast Hitchcock's health rebounded at the start of 1975 and he began to cast Deceit.

For the roles of Blanche the clairvoyant and her partner George, Universal suggested Liza Minnelli and Hitchcock considered Jack Nicholson, however the actor was busy preparing for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Minnelli's salary would have compromised the film's budget. Instead, Hitchcock settled for Broadway stage actress Barbara Harris , who had recently starred as a psychic in the stage play On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, and Bruce Dern , who had played a small but memorable role in Marnie (1964). Hitchcock met with actress Karen Black in February and immediately cast her as Fran, the villain's wife. For the villain, Arthur Adamson — nicknamed "The Trader" — the director initially considered casting an "old Hollywood" actor to counterbalance the younger actors, such as John Houseman . Hitchcock eventually selected Universal's suggestion of Roy Thinnes . For the elderly Julia Rainbird, Hitchcock cast 87-year-old Cathleen Nesbitt who he'd first seen on the London stage in the 1920s, appearing in J.M. Barrie and John Galsworthy plays.

Principal Photography With the the start of production looming, Lehman submitted his final screenplay in April 1975 and filming for Alfred Hitchcock's Deceit began on May 12th. [5] [6] On Thursday May 29th, Hitchcock and his cast spent much of the day entertaining journalists and film critics on a specially constructed cemetery set where lunch was served. Fake tombstones were engraved with the names of those attending. [7] Although the majority of filming took place on the Universal sound stages, some location filming was done. Hitchcock was keen for the city locations to be generic, so scenes were shot in both Los Angeles and San Francisco . However, throughout the shoot, Hitchcock's health remained a constant concern for the studio executives — Universal's Thom Mount later told Charlotte Chandler : For Family Plot, a lot of the work was done on the soundstage, but Mr. Hitchcock had a very hard time standing up for any lengthy period of time.

Walking was not his strong suit by that time, so we took an old Cadillac convertible and a welding torch, and we cut the sides, and the back off of it, fitted a flat platform on the back of the Cadillac, and on that flat platform we put a chair for a cinematographer, as if it were a crane that was mounted on a hydraulic lift. Mr. Hitchcock would sit in the chair and move himself around in any direction and see in all directions. The Cadillac was moved all around the soundstage, even though they were interiors, just backing it into place, wherever it needed to be. And so Mr. Hitchcock could move around. [8] William Devane Early in the production, it became apparent that Hitchcock was having serious doubts about Roy Thinnes , who had provided the director with a list of character traits he thought The Trader should have. Shortly after filming the scene where the bishop is kidnapped, Thinnes was fired and actor William Devane was hired to replace him.

According to Patrick McGilligan , Hitchcock had apparently anticipated this might happen and had purposefully shot some of Thinnes' scenes from behind, so that the actor's face wasn't visible, and this helped to minimise the number of reshoots required with Devane. As with previous Hitchcockian villains, played by actors such as James Mason , Robert Walker and Anthony Perkins , Devane was cast against type in the role. [9] [10] Barbara Harris & Bruce Dern Despite Hitchcock's well-known distrust of method actors, by all accounts he got on extremely well with Barbara Harris, Karen Black and Bruce Dern during filming. Dern, in particular, took to joking with director and laughing loudly at his risqué jokes and later told an interviewer that when Hitchcock was alert, "[he] noticed everything — a shadow on a performer's face, a bad angle for a prop, a few seconds too long on a take.

Just when we thought he had no idea what was going on, he'd snap us all to attention with the most incredible awareness of some small but disastrous detail that nobody would have noticed until it got on the screen." [11] Partway through filming, Variety confirmed in mid-July that the film had been retitled Family Plot. [12] Around the same time, Hitchcock joked to journalists that he might end up calling the film Alfred Hitchcock's Wet Drawers. [13] Post-Production Rather than using standard rear projection for the driving scenes, Universal persuaded Hitchcock to try an experimental technique the studio was developing which optically composited the background into the film frame. Unfortunately, the end result was substandard and criticised by many of the reviewers. The Score Hitchcock's 53rd In November, Universal's music executive Harry Garfield recommended John Williams after Hitchcock had rejected an earlier suggestion by the studio to give Henry Mancini a second chance, following his rejected score for Frenzy . The composer had received considerable praise for his iconic score for Steven Spielberg's Jaws, which had been released whilst Family Plot was being filmed in June.

The success of Jaws — which had quickly become the highest-grossing North American film of all time — had benefited Hitchcock, who was one of the largest shareholders in Universal. [14] According to Williams, although he was keen to work with Hitchcock, he first sought approval from his friend Bernard Herrmann before accepting the offer. At the time, Herrmann was in London working on Martin Scorsese 's Taxi Driver. Herrmann then flew to New York in December to record the score and passed away on Christmas Eve, just a few hours after completing the recording. [14] The composer met regularly with Hitchcock to discuss the score and to dine with the director, although the conversation frequently wandered on to other topics, such as Hitchcock's favourite composers, including Edward Elgar. [15] Whilst discussing the tone for the score, Hitchcock recounted how Mancini had used "double bass and bassoon and timpani, and every instrument in the city of London capable of making an ominous, lugubrious sound" for the rejected Frenzy score. When Williams commented, "it seems for a murder that's very appropriate", Hitchcock responded, "Mr. Williams...

murder can be fun!" [14] ''The First Seance'' composed by John Williams Williams recorded his score over three days from January 12th, 1976, conducting the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Universal City Studios Scoring Stage. Hitchcock, who had just returned from what would prove to be his final Christmas trip to St. Moritz and was again struggling again with health problems, briefly attended one of the sessions and nodded his approval. The studio recording was initially released on CD as a bootleg in 2007 before being officially released by Varèse Sarabande in 2010. In 2012, Classic FM interviewed Williams about his career for a two-hour long broadcast special , which included a short discussion about Hitchcock and Family Plot: Error loading file:"JohnWilliamsClassicFM23Aug2012.mp3" The following year, Williams spoke about Hitchcock for the BBC Radio " Composer of the Week " series: Error loading file:"JohnWilliamsHitchcock2013.mp3" Release & Reception The film was premiered at Filmex, the Los Angeles International Film Festival, on March 21st.

Two days later, Hitchcock took part in a lengthy video press conference hosted by Richard Schickel . Many of the reviews were warmly positive. The Times noted that the film "has the geometric ingenuity of the later American work, along with the delight in quirky character that marked Hitchcock's British period [...] Yet what is most characteristic and charming in the film is a show-off relaxation, an easy demonstration of how it all should be done [...] It's all a very jolly affair." [16] Penelope Gilliatt's review in The New Yorker began by noting the links to Mary Rose in the opening séance scene and ended by saying, "Hitchcock allows himself a camaraderie with the audience which makes this film one of the saltiest and most endearing he has ever directed." And, of Barbara Harris, "She has never before seemed so fully used." [17] In his review for Commentary, William S. Pechter concluded by saying, "Perhaps it's true that what one sees in Family Plot is the reflection of an aged artist's attainment of tranquility: of a serene wisdom in which all those childhood terrors have been finally exorcised, and put behind him.

If so, so much the better for Hitchcock. And so much the worse for us." [18] The Independent Film Journal noted the "curiously sloppy process shots" which marred the film but felt that the film "is as solid an entertainment as any audience — at any level — could ever hope for." [19] See Also... Super Reviewer ½ This was Hitchcock's final film, and, as far as this sort of thing goes, I suppose it could have been worse. The plot is a convoluted and sometimes confusing lighthearted mystery romp involving 'psychics', kidnapping, ransom, and, of course, the dead (or presumed to be). It's not as funny as maybe it should be, and, while I am okay with humor, I think this might have been far more effective and interesting if it was played darker and more serious. Don't get me wrong, it's interesting stuff, but I think it could have been even more so if done differently. I liked Karen Black and Bruce Dern, and, while the not as notable cast (at that time) are fine, I think this would have been better if it had some major star power behind it.

The music by John Williams is pretty good, and the film has a nice look to it, but I can just tell that Hitch was probably not trying all that hard here. I know it's cliche to rant about the dip in quality of his later work, but all things considered, this could have been far, far worse. This might be lesser Hitch, but it's still kinda decent, so sure, give it a watch. Chris Weber Super Reviewer ½ An appropriate swan song for Alfred Hitchcock's career, Family Plot is light and thoroughly entertaining. It's a clever mystery involving multiple identities and ensuing confusion with the master's comedic touches as well. Family Plot may not seem typical Hitchcock to some, but it reminds me of The Trouble with Harry as a few others. Those only familiar with Psycho and Vertigo would be surprised at his amazingly varied career. Remember how funny Hitch was on his TV show. Family Plot is cast well. I love the chemistry, especially the verbal jabbing, between Barbara Harris and Bruce Dern. William Devane is perfect as the debonair jeweler and kidnapper hiding a dangerous past.

Ed Lauter's great too; he usually plays a jerk (think Longest Yard), but here he's even creepier. This film is a greatly nuanced comedy about death. It's a nice contrast with AH's previous film, the R-rated shocker Frenzy. Considered together, I think they typify his career. This isn't deep philosophy, its entertainment. As the master stated, "drama is life with the dull bits left out." Clintus Maximus Super Reviewer ½ Arthur Adamson: Isn't it touching how a perfect murder has kept our friendship alive all these years. "There's no body in the family plot." Family Plot is a pretty good going out party for the Master, Alfred Hitchcock. It's lesser Hitchcock for sure, but lesser Hitchcock is still pretty damn good. This film brings together a lot of Hitchcock's signature techniques and wraps them up nicely in two hours. Now, years after being made, Family Plot is a pretty good introduction to Hitchcock. It wouldn't be a bad movie to watch first, before diving into his several masterpieces like Psycho and Vertigo.

The movie follows a couple, one a phony psychic and the other, a taxi driver who is a pretty good little investigator. Blanche(the psychic) is asked to locate a family heir who has been missing for several years. Her and Lumley(the taxi driver) don't have to much to go by, but they soon start following up leads which lead them to another couple. These two are jewel thieves and one has a huge secret. The film brings the two couples together in a smart and intricate way. Hitchcock, like usual, doesn't try to keep major details from us. He let's us in on all the secrets and let's the suspense build from the characters mission to find out what we already know. There's a reason he is known as the "Master of Suspense." He knows how to build it. He knew that suspense isn't built by surprises, but by knowing what's going on, but not what's going to happen. Sure, this isn't the greatest example of that in his work, but it is still a good one. He's not into huge plot twists at the end. Think how Psycho would have turned out in another director's hands.

We sure wouldn't have been let in on the Norman Bates/Mother thing that early. There's one thing I have a problem with and it is a dumb ending. I didn't care for it, but it didn't ruin the movie either. Overall, Family Plot is just another solid thriller from Hitchcock. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Melvin White Trivia from 'Family Plot' - Hitchcock's Most Mormon Film U.S. Box Office: $13,200,000 Production budget: $3,000,000 Alfred Hitchcock is widely regarded as the great filmmaker in history. He grew up in a devoutly Catholic home in England, where he began his film career. He was already an accomplished director when he moved to Hollywood, where he would remain until the end of his career. Among his best known films are four that the American Film Institute included on their year 2000 list of "100 Greatest Films" ever made in this country: Psycho; The Birds; Rear Window and North by Northwest. Family Plot (1976) was Hitchcock's last film. Oddly enough, it is also his most overtly Mormon film.

One of the four main characters was apparently raised by Mormon parents. And in the graveside scene, the clergyman delivering the eulogy quotes eight consecutive verses from the Book of Mormon. Although Hitchcock's reasons for including references to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may never be known, it is possible that part of the inspiration for the material came from the film's star Bruce Dern. The eulogy and Church reference may have been "inside jokes" derived from Dern's Utah heritage: Bruce Dern was the grandson of Utah governor George Dern. Hitchcock was fond of dropping subtle and meaningful details into his films. For example, if you look closely, you may notice that the character Blanche Tyler lives on the corner of Castle Heights and Bates. The street sign is a fake one, placed there by the film's art director, and is an obvious allusion to the Bates Motel, the site of Hitcock's famous film Psycho.

(The sign can be seen as Karen Black is walking toward by Tyler's home on the sidewalk, toward the car where awaits William Devane, when they first go to Tyler's house to see who is investigating Eddie Shoebridge.) Family Plot features other subtle, and not-so-subtle, allusions to previous Hitchcock films. For example, the frantic drive down the mountain in a car with no brakes is strongly reminscent of Cary Grant's inebriated drive in North by Northwest. The memorable and beautifully shot cemetary scene, in which George Lumley (played by Bruce Dern) confronts Joe Maloney's widow (Katherine Helmond), opens up with a group of about twenty-five people listening to a clergyman's graveside eulogy. He says some words specifically about the deceased (Joe Maloney, who was played by Ed Lauter). Maloney's widow sees George, and George starts to walk away, toward the Shoebridge grave. Mrs. Maloney quietly leaves the service and follows George, on a different, parallel path. Hitchcock had been very specific about the layout for this scene, and insisted that it be shot with an overhead camera. The entire time that George and Mrs.

Maloney are walking toward the Shoebridge grave, the clergyman can be heard quoting from the Book of Mormon. Specifically, he is quoting 2 Nephi 9:20-27. Of course, the passage is very appropriate for the film. Hitchcock paid meticulous attention to details on all his films: 20 O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it. 21 And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam. 22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day. 23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.

24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it. 25 Wherefore, he has given a law; and where there is no law given there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement; for they are delivered by the power of him. 26 For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel. 27 But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!

These verses from the Book of Mormon provide the primary accompaniment to the action of this scene, as the musical score is very faint or non-existent at this point. (Family Plot was scored by John Williams, who is today Hollywood's most famous composer, as he has worked on many major Lucas and Spielberg pictures such as the Star Wars and Jurassic Park films. At the time he scored Family Plot he was less well known, but Hitchcock had been impressed by his work on Jaws. Hitchcock was known for his close collaborations with composers--few directors entrusted so much importance to the score. Family Plot was the first film Williams scored for Hitchcock. It was also the last, as this was Hitchcock's last picture. It's unfortunate that there were no other collaborations between the two of them, because Williams' score for this film is delightful. It is also quite unlike anything else he has done.) All of the gravestones seen in the cemetary scene are fake, by the way. The filmmakers did not want to risk claims by surviving relatives of actual deceased people.

Having fun with the press, many of the names on the gravestones are actually names of entertainment reporters invited by Hitchcock to a press conference to the cemetary filming location for a press conference. George Lumley is also the character involved in the earlier scene that alludes to Latter-day Saints. George is searching for Edward Shoebridge who, by the time the film takes place, has changed his name to Arthur Adamson. Adamson, one of the film's four leads, was played by William Devane. (An interesting aside: Devane was originally unavailable for the project, and so Roy Thinnes was cast in the role. But when Devane unexpectedly became available, Hitchcock fired Thinnes, and reshot scenes that included the character. Thinnes was very unhappy about this, and, in one embarrasing incident, confronted Hitchcock about it in a crowded restaurant.) The adoptive parents of Edward Shoebridge/Arthur Adamson died in a house fire when he as a teenager -- a fire set by Maloney. (Edward/Arthur was adopted while a baby, and it appears that at the time of his adoptive parents' death he did not know he was adopted.

As an infant, Edward was baptized by an Episcopalian parson, before being given over for adoption to the Shoebridges.) The Latter-day Saint reference occurs while George is talking to the stonecarver who created the headstones for the Shoebridges: stonecarver: What year did you say the family died? George: Uhh... 1950.

Question: Which director’s last film was Family Plot in 1975?
Answer: Alfred Hitchcock